Current:Home > NewsCharles Langston:LeBron James indicates at NBA All-Star Game intention to remain with Los Angeles Lakers -TradeWisdom
Charles Langston:LeBron James indicates at NBA All-Star Game intention to remain with Los Angeles Lakers
EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-11 01:36:55
Editor's note: USA TODAY Sports will provide updates,Charles Langston highlights, analysis, reaction and more from the NBA All-Star Game.
INDIANAPOLIS — As Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James prepared for his NBA record 20th All-Star Game, he acknowledged he is contemplating what the end of his playing career will look like and expressed a desire to finish it with the Lakers.
“I have not mapped out how many seasons I have left. I know it's not that many,” James said when asked by USA TODAY Sports at a news conference Sunday afternoon.
Just before the trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors reached out to the Lakers about James’ availability and were rebuffed on two counts: the Lakers nor James had any interest in a trade.
“I am a Laker, and I am happy and been very happy being a Laker the last six years, and hopefully it stays that way,” James said. “But I don't have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I'll be in. Hopefully, it is with the Lakers. It's a great organization and so many greats. But we'll see.
“I don't know how it's going to end, but it's coming. It's coming, for sure.”
Whether it’s after this season or after a few more seasons, the 39-year-old James, who is a four-time MVP, four-time champion, four-time Finals MVP and the NBA's all-time leading scorer, isn’t sure if he wants an extravagant farewell tour or not one at all.
“I was asked this question a couple days ago: ‘Will you kind of take the farewell tour, or will you kind of just Tim Duncan it?’” James said. “I'm 50-50, I'm going to be honest, because there's times when I feel like I guess I owe it to my fans that have been along this journey with me for two decades-plus, to be able to give them that moment where it's every city and whatever the case may be and they give you your flowers or whatever the case may be. That seems cool.
"But the other side of I've never been that great with accepting like praise. It's a weird feeling for me. I never really talked about it much, but it's just a weird feeling for me. So to go in each city if that's the case – I don't know. I've seen Mike's, I've seen Kobe's. I've seen a lot of guys. I just don't know how I'd feel. I don't know if I'd feel great about it. Maybe the only child in me.”
James was in a reflective mood, as is often the case with him at an event like this.
“As a kid growing up and loving the game of basketball and watching the NBA All-Star Weekend and seeing the Sunday game, I always had dreams and visions if I was able to play the game at a high level and give everything to the game, hopefully I could be a part of that game someday,” he said. “It's just been an absolute honor to be able to grace the floor throughout my career and be out there with the greatest players in the world year in and year out. This is very humbling, very blessed, and it's something I will never forget obviously. It's part of my journey.”
James, whose Lakers are 30-26 and battling for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, made his first All-Star Game in 2005, his second season in the league. Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Grant Hill and Shaquille O’Neal were the other four starters, and his longtime friend Dwyane Wade was a reserve.
He has played in every All-Star Game since.
“You still get that moment where I'm in the locker room looking at Steph (Curry), AD (Anthony Davis), KD (Kevin Durant), Kawhi (Leonard), Joker (Nikola Jokic), Luka (Doncic), all those guys. … So you still have that feeling like, this is pretty cool. “I still at heart and like deep inside, I'm still like that 18-year-old kid that came into this league from Akron, Ohio, which you don't really have many inspirations. You've got to grab it from somebody, and it's usually like a family member or a basketball coach or a football coach or a teacher or somebody like that. It's not many people that make it on TV or make it to doing special things that you think is special.”
James also plans on playing in his fourth Olympics this summer in Paris.
"I told myself before the season when I committed to being a part of the Olympic team, obviously it was all predicated on my health," he said. "As it stands right now, I am healthy enough to be on the team and perform at a level that I knew I could perform at. ... But the one thing I know for sure, I don't have to carry the load. ...
"I'm not sure right now what the full team is going to look like, but from some of the names, I know I don't have to feel any pressure going out there to feel like I have to carry the team. That's going to be a full 12-man roster that's capable of doing it both offensively and defensively on any given night versus any country in the world."
veryGood! (21)
Related
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Can women really have it all? Lily Allen says kids ruined career, highlighting that challenge
- SpaceX’s mega rocket blasts off on a third test flight from Texas
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Pi Day
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Neil Young is returning to Spotify after boycotting platform over Joe Rogan and COVID-19 misinformation
- Bipartisan child care bill gets Gov. Eric Holcomb’s signature
- Iowa Republican shelves bill to criminalize death of an “unborn person” because of IVF concerns
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Cause a Racquet With SKIMS First Tennis Skirt, Plus More Aces From Lululemon, Amazon, and Gymshark
Ranking
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Kentucky governor ready to campaign against school choice measure if it reaches fall ballot
- These Crazy-Good Walmart Flash Deals Are Better Than Any Black Friday Sale, But They End Tomorrow
- Massachusetts Senate passes bill to make child care more affordable
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Oklahoma State men's basketball coach Mike Boynton fired after seven seasons with Cowboys
- Swimsuits for All Makes Waves with Their 50% off Sale, Including $8 Bikini Tops, $16 One-Pieces & More
- Nebraska governor blames university leadership for AD Trev Alberts’ sudden departure for Texas A&M
Recommendation
Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
A Georgia woman died after trying to get AirPod from under conveyor belt, reports say
Cashews sold by Walmart in 30 states and online recalled due to allergens
Dua Lipa, Shania Twain, SZA, more to perform at sold out Glastonbury Festival 2024
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Cat falls into vat of toxic chemicals and runs away, prompting warning in Japanese city
Stumpy, D.C.'s beloved short cherry tree, to be uprooted after cherry blossoms bloom
Titanic expedition might get green light after company says it will not retrieve artifacts